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(No ModeL) H. B. MOMURRAY &-L. SCOTT.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented. June 13, 1 882.

N. PETERS. PholoL'rthognpMr, Washingtun. 0.0

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HENRY B. MCMURRAY AND LEVI SCOTT, OF BURGETTSTOWN, PA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,570, dated June 13, 1882.

Application tiled February 7, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY B. MoMUR- RAY and Lnvr Scorr, of Burgettstown,in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Gouplings; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,elear, and cxactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the bodies of two cars and the coupling between, illustrating our invention 5 and Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

Our invention relates to apparatus for coupling cars, its principal object being to improve the construction of the coupling shown and described in Letters PatentNo. 252,238, granted to us January 10, 1882. In that patent the coupling-pin was provided with a tripping-rod pivoted to the head of the pin in such manner that when the pin was raised the rod would automatically catch upon the base of the linkcavity in the buffer or draw head in position to be caused to drop by the incoming link of the opposite draw-head, thus permitting the couplingpin to drop through the link and couple the cars. Two objections are found in the construction shown in that patent, one being that, as the coupling-pin and tripping-rod are securely fastened together, delay was occasioned in changing the pin in case it was so broken or bent as to be unfitfor use, and the other being that, as the tripping-rod extended through the link-cavity and wasin no way protected from blows from the link when the cars came together in coupling or backing, it was liable to be battered or bent outof shape, and thus become inoperative. By our present invention these objections are entirely overcome, and the apparatus for coupling cars improved in other particulars.

Our invention consists, first, in combining with the coupling-pin and the tripping-rod extending through the draw head back of the pin an intermediate lifting frame supported above the draw-head and rigidly secured to a vertically-moving guide, to which frame the tripping-rod is pivoted and within (No model.)

forming a recess for the reception or" the tripping-rod back of the draw-head or link-cavity. the rod fitting within this recesswhen the link is held by the coupling-pin, and being so pro tected from injury, but swinging forward out of the recess when its base catches on the base of the link-cavity and supports the couplingpin above the cavity; and,third,in mounting in front of the coupling-pin a lifting-bar sliding freely in the draw-head, and providingv mechanism whereby the bar may be raised or lowered from the side of the car and the link accurately guided thereby into the opposite drawhead in making a coupling.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use ourinvention, we will describeits construction and operation.

In the drawings referred to, Arepresents the body of an ordinary freight-car, with which our invention is illustrated, and B represents the buffer-head or draw-head, which is of the ordinary construction employed with freightcars, being formed of castor Wrought iron, and being secured to the car in any desired manner. The draw-head has the ordinary linkcavity, 1), and flaring face or mouth I), and the usual coupling-pin holes, 0c.

1) is the ordinary coupling-pin, having the head (I, and E is the pivoted tripping-rod, which extends through the draw-head B back of the coupling-pin holes.

F is ourimproved lifting-fra1ne,whichis rigidly secured to the guide g, the arms g of which pass through links or rings h, cast with or secured to the draw-head, or in grooves or slots in the side of the draw-head, and thus hold the lifting-framein proper position above the drawhead and insure the vertical movement of the frame when raised to withdraw the link, as hereinafter described. The lower verticallymoving guide, g, is arranged back of the coup= ling-pin holes, so as to be entirely out of the way of the coupling-pin, and the ends of the guide-arms are bent inwardly to catch upon the under faceof the draw-head and check the upward movement of the lifting-frame.

Extending out horizontally from the front of the lifting-frame over the coupling-pin hole 0 is the ring 76 for the reception of the couplingpin D, the pin fitting into this ring and bcin g supported therein by the head (I of the pin, so that the coupling-pin is thus raised and lowered in a perpendicular line through the drawhead on the raising or lowering of the liftingframe.

The tripping-rod E is pivoted to the back of the lifting-frame, and from thence extends through the slots 1 Z through the draw-head back of the link-cavity I), the rod fitting into the recess in back of said cavity when a link is coupled therein, and the recess being deep enough to permit the rod to swing entirely back of the link-cavity, so that the link does not come in contact with it. The forward edge of the lower slot, 1, is just even with the back ofthe lin k-cavity, and the upper slot, Z, extends a short distance over the link-cavity, so that when the rod is raised it will automatically swing forward into the cavity and its base rest on the base of the link-cavity, and when pushed or knocked back into the recess by the incoming link it will fall through the slot 1 and be held by it entirely back of the cavity, where it is protected from injury by the link.

In order to insure the swinging forward of the rod E when raised clear ofthe lower slot, Z, an enlargement or extension, 6, is formed at the forward side of the head of the rod, and it is pivoted to the lifting-frame, or to the coupling-pin where the frame is not used, through this extension, so that it naturally swings farther forward than a perpendicular.

The lifting-frame is provided with a loop or ring,f,which is connected by means of a chain with a crank,f, on the body of the car near the car-roof,thecrank havingattached toit achain or red, at, extending down within reach of the operator from the ground, the crank being so mounted to be within reach of the operator either from the car-roof or from the ground.

In front of the coupling-pin we form a slot extending vertically, or nearly so, through the lower part of the draw-head, and we also form a recess or seat in the face of the draw-head across this slot. In this slot we mount a lifting-bar,r, which is formed in the shape of a T, the cross-harp of which fits into the seat in the draw-head face. This barrslides freely within the slot, so that it can be raised and lowered therein by any suitable mechanism. The crossbar 17 of the lifting-bar extends across or nearly across the draw-head cavity, so as to catch under the link 8 and lift it when raised, and its upper surface is beveled, so that when fitting into its seat it lies flush with the face of the draw-head.

Mounted in bearings cast with or secured to the under surface of the draw-head is the loose pulley t, and a light chain or wire cord, at, is attached to the base of the lifting-bar r, and extends over this loose pulley to the arm 1 of the crank-bar a, which is mounted along the base of the car, and the crank-arm e is arranged at the side of the car in convenient position for use by the operator. The sliding bar 1 is raised by moving this crank-arm, and thus draws back the chain a, and is lowered by its own weight or the weight of the link on the slacking of the chain.

If desired, a pulley,t, may be mounted on each side of the sliding bar, and the crank-bar bent so as to extend on both sides of the car, as shown, a supplemental chain extending over the extra pulley to the crank-bar, so that a more direct pull is obtained in raising the lifting-bar.

Ourimproved car-coupling operates in the following manner: Where a coupling is to be made the link 8 is secured in one draw-head by raising the pin in the usual manner, and the coupling-pin in the opposite draw-head raised above the link-cavity by drawingon the rope u, attached to the crankf, until the liftin g-fraine F, with its coupling-pin and trippingrod, is lifted high enough to permit the rod to automaticallyswing forward and catch upon the base of the link-cavity in front of its recess at. As the cars approach, the operator, standing at the side of the car in which the link is secured, by means of the crank-bar v and intermediate connections, raises the lifting-bar 7' and link s, resting on it, and guides the link accurately into the link-cavity of the opposite draw-head, and the link, coming against the tripping-rod E, pushes it back until it falls through the slot 1 and permits the couplingpin to drop through the link. As soon as the link enters the link-cavity the operator can release the crank-bar a, and the lifting-bar will drop into its seat, so that there is not opportunity for it to be caughtand bent outof shape by any pressure of the link upon it. As the upper surface of the lifting-bar r in the drawhead into which the link enters lies flush with the face of the draw-head, there is no liability of the link catching against it as it enters the cavity.

After the coupliugis made, as the trippingrod is held within its recess back of the linkcavity, it cannot be injured by any blows from the link in coupling or backing the train. 'lo uncouple, all that is necessary is to raise the lifting-frame F by the crank-bar f until the tripping-rod swings forward and catches on the link-cavity base, and it is then in position for coupling, and can so remain until coupled again.

The vertical guide 9 serves to guide the movement of the lifting-frame, and by retaining it in proper position enables the ring kin the front of the frameto hold the coupling-pin vertically over its holes.

In case the link should be bent or broken, it can be lifted out and replaced by another one.

If the tripping apparatus should be broken, the coupling-pin can be usedindependently of it in the usual. way.

Our improved coupling apparatus may be employed with couplers previously in use by simply drilling a few slots and inserting afew parts, which can be done at slight expense.

WVhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In car-couplings, the combination, with the draw-head, ofthe lifting-frame F above the draw-head, vertically-moving; guide g, rigidly secured thereto, coupling-pin D, removably supported in the lifting-frame, and trippingrod E, pivoted at its head to the lifting-frame and extending through the draw-headback of the coupling-pin, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In car-couplings, the draw-head B, having; the recess m back of its link-cavity for the reception of the tripping-rod, and the slot 1 below the recess, adapted to hold the trippingrod entirely hack of the link-cavity, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In car-couplings, the combination, with the draw-head having the recess m back of its link-cavity b, of the pivoted tripping-rod E, fittingwithintherecess,and adapted,when raised, to swingforward into the link-cavity and catch 20 upon its base, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

4. In car-couplings, the combination, with the draw-head, of the lifting-bar l", sliding freely through the lower partof the draw-head, and mechanism forfraising and lowering the lifting-bar from the side of thecar, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In car-couplings, the combination, with the draw-head, of the lifting-bar r, sliding through the lower part of the draw-head, pulley t, chain u, and crank-bar v, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we, the said HENRY B. MoMUR-RAY and LEVI SCOTT, have hereunto set our hands.

HENRY B. MGMURRAY. LEVI SCOTT.

Witnesses:

JAMES I. KAY, F. G. KAY. 

